This forum is intended for discussion of issues relating to the foundations that support modern scientific research: databases and biobanks.

Whether they store data or biological material, funding is notoriously hard to come by for such resources. They are constantly faced with the problem that they must cast themselves as research projects. While there have been some small efforts to explore better models for funding infrastructure (for example, the UK BBSRC’s Bioinformatics and Biological Resources pilot scheme) and the most obviously indespensible databases and biobanks are maintained by various means, in general there is no support for those that support science once their projects move into a ‘maintenance phase’.

The foundations of a building are its most critical feature, but they cannot be judged by the same critieria as the edifice they support.